Australia to not renominate Howard for ICC role

CA said it would not renominate former Australian PM John Howard to take over the international leadership.

SYDNEY: Cricket Australia (CA) said it would not renominate former Australian prime minister John Howard to take over the leadership of the sport’s international governing body.

CA said Howard was its best available candidate and had decided not to consider suggesting any other names, and instead would support New Zealand Cricket’s nomination of Alan Isaac for the position of vice-president of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Howard, a passionate cricket lover, was put forward as Australia and New Zealand’s joint candidate for the ICC’s rotating vice presidency, with the expectation that he would be rubber-stamped as its president in two years.

But the ICC refused to vote on his nomination after a reported revolt by Asian and African cricketing powers, calling instead for Australia and New Zealand to put forward a new candidate.

“The CA board accepts that the New Zealand nominee, Mr Alan Isaac, is eminently qualified to fill the role of ICC vice-president and president, and given the stance of the ICC Executive Board with the nomination of Mr Howard, will support his name being forwarded to the ICC for ratification,” said CA in a statement.

“The Board is disappointed by the ICC Executive Board’s lack of support of Howard’s nomination and regards it as completely unacceptable that no reason has been provided as to why he has not been accepted.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2010.